It is known to form core logic devices such as high voltage, input/output and/or analog devices, on the same substrate as non-volatile memory devices (i.e. typically referred to as embedded memory devices). This is especially true for split gate non-volatile memory devices, where the memory cell architecture includes gates partially or fully stacked over other gates. However, as the device geometries of the logic devices continue to shrink, the height of the flash memory cells over the substrate surface is becoming much greater than that of the logic devices formed on the same substrate. Attempts to shrink the height of the memory cells over the substrate surface at the same rate as the logic devices can result in leakage or other detrimental effects.